


It Pours

by softestlad



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: (robert has a cold pls calm urself), 5+1 Things, All Eras, Anniversary, Bittersweet Ending, Flirting, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Power Outage, Rain, Romantic Fluff, Sickfic, excessive adjectives for lighting, sex by candlelight, the fact that there's no official tag for that last one is a mctravesty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:09:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22669831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softestlad/pseuds/softestlad
Summary: 5 moments with Aaron and Robert involving rain, +1 involving...not rain. Scenes through multiple eras.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 13
Kudos: 102





	It Pours

**Author's Note:**

> got half drowned in storm ciara last week so this was born, hope ye think it's worth it lol

**AFFAIR ERA**

It had seemed like a nice enough day. A bit overcast, but Aaron had been visiting with Paddy, Rhona, and Leo when Robert’s text came in, asking Aaron to meet him at the barn.

 **Aaron:** what time?

 **Robert:** ASAP ;)

 **Robert:** i’m already here. rather not have to start without you

Aaron had coughed, covering a flitting smirk with his palm when Paddy raised a question.

“I’m fine,” he said, then hitting his knees, “should get on though. Stuff to do today.”

“Like what?” Paddy said, which Aaron would be a bit offended by if the answer wasn’t _my investor._ He left soon after, and with a brief look at the sky, decided to walk it.

He should have taken a longer look.

Aaron ran full pelt through the barn doors, skidding to a stop, chest puffing, completely drenched.

“Woah. Someone’s eager.” Robert was sitting on a haybale and looked at him wide eyed as Aaron unzipped his hoody, peeling out of it and hooking it onto a nail jutting out of a wooden beam. He tried to catch his breath. He could feel water squelching in the soles of his shoes and frowned, flipping Robert off. Robert only smirked back at him.

“I’ll need a lift back,” he grumbled, seeing Robert extend his long legs and rise, approaching him with his customary swagger. Robert raised an eyebrow, and Aaron found himself slotting comfortably into their back and forth. He liked to push Robert, when he could. Telling instead of asking, taking instead of begging. Aaron knew he was the Other Person in this arrangement, and any time Robert decided it was too difficult, he could bail, and Aaron would have nothing of the other man. But still, he liked to push, liked to see how far Robert would let him go. How difficult Aaron would have to be before it outweighed how much Robert clearly, voraciously wanted him. It made him feel powerful. Exhilarated.

A bit like running through pounding rain.

“Why?” Robert asked, rocking on his feet. “How’d you get here, Scooter?”

Aaron rolled his eyes, gesturing down the length of himself. “Gone blind since I last saw you? Walked it, didn’t I?” Aaron said, though he wasn’t sure for whose benefit. Robert wasn’t listening, judging by the leisurely, heated way his eye wandered over Aaron, slowing over his chest, the hollows and dips where his clothes were plastered to his frame. “Looked alright when I was heading out,” Aaron said, recapturing his attention.

“Planning,” he said, tilting his head to the side with a cocky grin. “Not your strong suit.”

“Says 1800 Botch a Robbery over here,” Aaron snarked. Robert huffed lightly and Aaron suppressed a grin. Push, push, push, Robert just seemed to enjoy it. Enjoyed Aaron. If anyone else made a joke out of Robert’s mistakes they’d likely end up picking verbal shrapnel out of their psyche for days, but Robert just…laughed. Like the catastrophe at Home Farm wasn’t as important in its reality as it was as an in joke between them.

Robert sauntered closer, and Aaron stayed where he was.

“Well,” Robert said, closing the gap and sliding his long fingers along Aaron’s sides, his palms coming to rest on Aaron’s waist, pressing the wet fabric of his tshirt to his skin, cool enough to make him shiver. “New plan then,” Robert said. “I – “

“Robert,” Aaron interrupted, relishing the flicker of pleased surprise on Robert’s face at the sound of his name in Aaron’s mouth. “If you say sommat about gettin’ me outta my wet clothes,” he threatened, “I’m gonna walk straight back out the door.”

Aaron flattened his expression, playing at seriousness. It’s what they did. Scowl and sparkle. Sneer and flame. Robert drummed his fingers in a slow roll against Aaron’s waist, eyes flicking between Aaron’s eyes and his mouth.

“I wasn’t planning on saying much of anything,” he said, silkily, tugging Aaron closer.

Aaron liked to push Robert.

He loved when Robert pushed back.

**BOYFRIEND ERA**

Aaron trundled into Robert’s room at Vic’s, a shopping bag full of pharmaceuticals hanging off his shoulder and a jumper balled up in his hands. Robert was curled up on his side, a tissue crumpled in his hand and a confused look on his face as he sat up.

“Hey,” he said, his stuffed up nose making his speech thick. “Didn’t think I’d be seeing you,” he said, though it came out more like _din’t thingk I’d be seeinngk gyou._ His eyes were watery and heavy lidded, the room dim from the half pulled curtains.

“Mum didn’t want you infecting half the pub after getting caught out,” Aaron said, remembering her shooing Aaron’s soaking wet boyfriend out of the pub, halfway to blaming him for any and all occurrences of the common cold. Robert’s car had broken down just outside the village, and he walked the short way to the garage instead of calling, the sky taking the opportunity to open and express all its greatest woes on top of his blonde head. Chas had taken one look at him and declared him patient zero. Looked like she was right. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to spend time with you.”

Robert smiled, small and delicate. They were still quite new, really, but they were spending all their time in each other’s pockets. It felt strange to spend even a day without at least laying eyes on Robert. Robert had been Aaron’s rock, a steady presence. Even now when things were more settled, he liked that steadiness. He thought of what he said to Robert before the verdict, _I want to be able to rely on you_. He did. He was.

Aaron sat down on the end of the bed while Robert got himself propped up on his headboard. His hair was smushed on one side, his nose bright pink and sore looking. The was a roll of loo paper on the bedside table that Robert had evidently been using with great frequency if not enthusiasm. Aaron set down his bag of tricks, opening it up, starting a quiet recitation.

“Them good tissues with the balm stuff in them,” he said, handing the box of aloe tissues to Robert, who hesitated but took them. Aaron laid out his other purchases in the quilt. “Strepsils and soothers – didn’t know if you had a sore throat or what but…got a cough syrup, and some Sudafed, Vick’s,” Aaron kept pulling things out of the bag, distantly aware he might have gone overboard. When he looked up Robert was staring at him.

“What?” Aaron said, folding up his shopping bag, clenching it in his hands.

“Didn’t think you’d be the fussy nurse type,” Robert said. Aaron looked into his lap, stung.

“I’m not,” he said, thumbing his nose and frowning, looking out of the sliver of window that wasn’t hidden by curtain. The sky was still grey, but softly, not threatening and dark the way it was the day Robert managed to get himself bogged down with a cold.

“Hey,” the gentle tone of Robert’s voice drew Aaron’s attention, and he found Robert running his gaze along Aaron’s face wonderingly. It loosened something in Aaron’s chest. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” Robert said. He brushed his fingers over the miniature pharmacy Aaron had laid out. “It’s…it’s nice,” he pressed his lips together, then thought better of it, unable to get a proper breath in through his nose. “Been a long time since someone got into a lather about me having a bit of a sniffle.”

Robert’s eyes went distant, and not just from the cold’s influence. Aaron knew that look, Robert’s most vulnerable spot – he was thinking of his mum. Aaron thought, not for the first time, that he wished he could have gotten to meet her. From what Robert had told him about her, Sarah had a hand in nurturing all of Robert’s best parts. And she loved him, fiercely. Aaron still wasn’t ready to say anything to that effect to Robert yet – he meant it when he said he needed to take things slow, at least on that front – but he knew deep down that he did. That he never stopped. He wished he could have met Sarah even just for that reason, that they both belonged to what seemed to be an unfortunately highly exclusive club.

Aaron cleared his throat.

“Yeah well. My turn innit?” he said, nudging the cough syrup box with his knuckle. Robert looked at him, furrowing his brow slightly. Aaron rolled his eyes. “To take care of _you_ , numpty. Here,” he said, before Robert could respond. He pressed the jumper into Robert’s hands. Black, of course, but worn thin and soft.

“What’s this?”

“You’re quick to point out I’ve got about a hundred black jumpers,” Aaron said, then nodded at it. “But you always pick that one when you need another layer at mine.” Robert’s mouth opened. Closed. He looked down at the jumper, then raised it over his head, wriggling into it. Aaron liked to wear his sleeves long, so they came perfectly to rest at Robert’s wrists.

“Thank you,” Robert said, achingly sincere.

“Soft,” Aaron said, quietly. A moment passed. “Right,” Aaron said, all business. “Where’s your laptop? I’ve broken quarantine now so I might as well stay and watch a film.”

**HUSBANDS 1.0 ERA**

“No,” Robert said.

“Come on, Robert,” Aaron wheedled, sitting on the edge of the bed pulling on his socks. He thought he’d been onto a winner, asking after sex, but maybe he’d reached the limits of his power with this one. “Don’t be such a wet wipe.”

“Nice,” Robert scoffed, yanking up his underwear decisively, hair still damp from the shower they shared – they’d be leaving the Woolpack bathroom behind soon, it had to be done. For old time’s sake. “Thought you’d fancy a wet wipe you, anyway,” he said, “you’d need them if you dragged me to a festival.”

“Rob,” Aaron tried, catching Robert’s attention just as he strategically bent over to pull a pair of jeans from the chest of drawers. Robert narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what Aaron was doing, despite his innocent-but-pleading expression.

“Aaron, I’m telling you. There is nothing I want to do less than go to a music festival. In fact,” he said, only just managing to force his eyes from Aaron’s arse back to his face. “I can’t think of anything worse.”

Aaron sighed. If Robert really hated the idea that much, he wouldn’t make him go. But the festival he was thinking of had some really cool acts lined up. If he could just get Robert there he was sure they’d have a good time.

“What if it rains?” Robert continued, throwing up his hands. He was standing in just his belted jeans, looking patently edible, but Aaron was on a mission here.

“We’re in England Robert, it probably _will_ rain,” he said. “But that can be part of it, y’know. Festival atmosphere, gettin’ mucky and sweaty, really stuck into the experience n’that?”

“Somehow this is failing to convince me,” Robert said dryly, though Aaron was sure he saw something flicker in his eye when Aaron said _sweaty._

“Just think about it,” Aaron said, walking the length of their bed, hooking his fingers into Robert’s front pockets, starting a little sway as he looked up into Robert’s eyes. “Day of music and food and beer,” he said, murmuring.

“Right,” Robert breathed, eyes dropping to Aaron’s mouth, their bare chests together.

“Night of just you and me in the tent. No one coming knocking.”

“Yeah,” Robert sighed, and Aaron thought he had him. He leaned to kiss him, but Robert pulled his head back, staring at him as he spoke flatly. “Because there’s nowhere to knock on a tent, Aaron.”

Aaron gave up. He stepped away from Robert, shrugging into a shirt.

“Aaron – “

“Will you at least think about it?” he asked, in a last ditch effort. “It’d be a laugh. And – “ he cut himself off. Robert reached out for him, now fully dressed too, because today didn’t seem to be a day where Aaron Dingle got what he wanted.

“And?”

“Dunno,” Aaron shrugged, looking down at his feet. “I just. I’d like to go. I’d like to go _with you_.”

“Even if I complained the whole time? Even if we ended up swimming in filthy festival rainwater?”

Aaron shrugged again.

“I’ll go,” Robert said. Aaron looked up. Robert wandered closer, putting his hands on Aaron’s neck, thumbs brushing under Aaron’s jaw as he tilted his head up.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Because I’m a top bloke,” he said, brushing a light kiss to Aaron’s lips. “And because,” he kissed Aaron again, Aaron sinking into the feel of Robert against him, leaning up just a bit on his toes as they stood in their stocking feet.

“Because?”

“I love you. And I’d do anything for you,” he said. He looked at Aaron, and Aaron’s breath caught a bit at the sincerity there. He never thought he’d get to have someone look at him like this, like he was adored. Not ever, never mind _forever._

“You’re amazing,” Aaron said, letting the moment go to his head, bubbly and light, prison a distant memory when he felt this free. He darted in for another kiss. “I’ll send you the link. We’ll only go if there’ll be people on that we both like, yeah?”

“You’ll be there,” Robert said. “I like you.”

Aaron grinned into their kiss.

Later in the week, when Robert had booked the tickets, Aaron borrowed his laptop, opening the lid to find tabs already open. One of which was for luxury tents. Aaron rolled his eyes, fondly.

**BREAK UP ERA**

Aaron had only just pulled up the handbrake when he saw them across the street.

Robert was struggling with the visor on Seb’s pram, the wind combining with the rain to make the task all but impossible. Aaron peered around, wondering if Vic or Rebecca might appear from behind him to help, but it looked like a two man operation, only Robert and Seb against the elements.

Aaron watched for a few more seconds before the decision was made, and it was funny how it didn’t feel like a decision at all. It didn’t _feel_ at all, didn’t hurt the way it once did. That was Robert, and that was Seb, and Aaron knew he had an umbrella in the boot because Robert always insisted on it. Like so many things, Aaron couldn’t bring himself to excise Robert by breaking the habit. Besides, it was only practical to have an umbrella in the car.

Pulling out his keys, Aaron jumped out of the car, fished the umbrella from the back, and jogged over to them.

“Here,” Aaron said, interrupting Robert’s stressed muttering at the uncooperative pram, the other man looking up at him from where he hovered over Seb, shielding him from the rain as best he could. “Let me,” Aaron opened the umbrella, holding it over Seb and Robert. Robert righted himself.

“Aaron, you don’t have to – “

“Don’t be daft, just let me alright?” Aaron reached out with his free hand, pulling at the pram’s visor, well meaning but mostly ineffective. “Besides, if Seb got a vote I bet he’d be going with the brolly n’all,” Aaron said, winking at the baby, whose hands were raised over his head wonderingly, like he was confused at where the spattering rainfall had got to.

Robert smiled. “Good point.”

“Course it is, I made it,” Aaron said, lightly. “What’s up with it, anyway?” he asked, nodding at the pram. Robert blew out a sigh.

“Don’t know. It’s been one of those mornings,” he said. Aaron frowned. Robert did look a bit tired, but he looked at Aaron and smiled again, small but genuine. “It’s just jammed up for some reason,” he said. “Could do with a good mechanic.”

“Not really my area,” Aaron said, screwing up his face in exaggerated apology.

“I said a _good_ mechanic,” Robert shot back and Aaron’s mouth opened on a grin. He leaned over the pram, tickling at the centre of Seb’s chest with a finger.

“Did you hear that, Seb?” Aaron said. “Daddy reckons he’s got jokes.” Aaron moved his hand away, only for Seb to reach back and grab hold of his finger with his entire tiny hand. Aaron’s laugh softened. After a moment Seb let go, and Aaron looked back at Robert, their eyes locking and the smiles shrinking on their mouths, left only with tucked corners and bright eyes.

Aaron cleared his throat.

“So. Where you headed?” he asked. “I’ll walk you.”

“You really don’t have to,” Robert said, though Aaron knew him well enough to know he didn’t mean it.

“I don’t do anything I don’t wanna do,” Aaron said. He moved closer, so all three of them were covered by the umbrella’s protection, their own private, dry bubble.

They walked.

**HUSBANDS 2.0 ERA**

The storm raged outside, hail and thunder – it was Biblical. So when a flash left pulsing colours in Aaron’s eyes and the Mill was plunged into darkness, he just sighed.

Of course.

Robert had prepared for such an event, grabbing the torch from under the coffee table. He shined it under his chin and pulled a face at Aaron, because he was an idiot, and Aaron rolled his eyes. It was just them in the Mill, Liv staying with Gabby and Seb at Vic’s. Aaron sent a text to both while Robert tooled around with the torch, _power cut at the mill. Everything okay where you are?_ By the time he got affirmatives back from them that their power was also gone but that everything was otherwise fine, Robert had progressed to standing in front of the couch, wielding the torch beam like a light saber, making the _zzsszsszhh_ sound with each pass.

“Y’know,” Aaron said, idly, flipping his phone in his hand, “I was gonna say this is a good excuse to have an early night.” The torch beam stopped in its tracks, and Robert bumped his shin into the coffee table, emitting an _oof_ that made Aaron smirk. “Seein’ this though…don’t know if I wanna have sex with you now. Or ever again, actually.”

“What if I give you the torch?” Robert broached. Aaron pushed up his bottom lip.

“Might consider it.” The light sailed into his lap and Aaron chuckled, standing from the couch and groping for Robert’s hand. They navigated the spiral deathtrap carefully, managing to get to their room without any mishaps. When they entered Aaron flicked the light switch on reflex, rolling his eyes at himself when he realised what he’d done.

Robert dropped his hand and Aaron trained the light on him as he got to their bedside table, opening the drawer and facing Aaron with a stack of tealights in a packet.

“Candles?” Aaron said, his voice dry but his heart fluttering.

“Got them when they put out the weather warning,” Robert said, ripping the plastic and setting a few candles on the bedside table, lighting the little cluster with a cigarette lighter. He wandered around the room, dotting tea lights on every surface clear of fabrics or flame risks; the dresser, the windowsills, the very edge of the shelves. Soon the room was softly filled with an amber glow, and Aaron switched off the torch, the two of them standing on opposite sides of the room, separated by their bed.

The rain was merciless, beating against the window in staccato swells and ebbs, filling the gap where the power cut had removed all the electrical hums in the house. It was just them and the rain. Aaron met Robert’s eyes. Robert smiled and Aaron had one of those thoughts. One of those thoughts where it was so cringe, so humiliatingly smug and married and cheesy of him but fuck – he couldn’t help it.

Robert smiled and Aaron fell in love with him all over again. Melted and reformed under his gaze into someone _loved._

“What’re you standing over there for?” Robert said, eyes catching the gentle candlelight.

“Waiting for you to stop standing over there,” Aaron said, feeling golden.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Could be waiting a while,” Robert’s teeth flashed.

“Doubt it,” Aaron said. He reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up, slowly, slipping it off over his head and dropping it to the floor next to him. Robert’s eyes danced over him. Then he started to slip his own buttons, nimble fingers steady. He peeled the shirt from his long limbs, and Aaron felt his own eyes darken. They stared at each other, drinking it in.

The moment broke.

They both grabbed their own belts, unbuckled and shinned out of their trousers, losing their socks and soon after their minds, meeting each other in the middle – meeting each other halfway. On their bed. They kissed like they could bring the lights back on if they did it hard enough, passionately enough. Their bodies were cast in flickering candlelight, their moans drowning out the Biblical flood happening outside. Sepia turned bronze turned fierce orange to gold – they were light paintings, moving together. Aaron got his mouth on Robert, made sure to meet his eye, watched the way Robert threw his head back in pleasure, mouth open to the ceiling, before he looked down his body again to Aaron, ran his hand through Aaron’s hair.

Aaron added fingers to the mix, watched the light shapes change on the planes of Robert’s body as he writhed and arched.

“Turn over,” he whispered, when Robert was shaking with it, just on the edge. He took a moment to get his head back but did as Aaron said, rolling onto his stomach and letting Aaron raise his hips enough to put a pillow under them. Aaron kneeled between Robert’s legs, stroking up the back of his thighs. He raked his eyes up over Robert’s arse, up the length of his spine, his freckles like a scattered shimmer in the low light.

“Aaron,” Robert pleaded, hands gripping the duvet under his head. When Aaron finally pushed inside him it was a glide, smooth as the moan Robert made. Aaron pressed himself along Robert’s back, enveloping him, creating shadows. Their hips moved, undulating, deep strokes. Without the power the bedside clock was blank, but Aaron could have sworn they moved like that, stayed close like that, moaned like that for hours.

Glowing, amber, rain soaked hours.

**+1: CLASSY ANNIVERSARY TRIP (ACTUALLY)**

Robert stood by the window of their cottage rental, Aaron clearing their breakfast dishes. He dried his hands on a dishcloth, watching his husband, enjoying how relaxed his frame looked as he took in the view of the Welsh countryside. This was a good idea, going away together. Aaron swallowed, thinking about making the most of it, fighting against the impulse to sink into sadness. They’d be alright, and for now, they were together. In Wales, celebrating their anniversary, squeezing life into every minute.

“Looks like we’re in luck,” Robert remarked, still gazing out the glass.

“First time for everything,” Aaron said, screwing the dishtowel up and tossing it beside the sink as Robert shot him an unimpressed look over his shoulder, then looked out again.

“Rain’s stopped,” he said. “Was worried we wouldn’t be able to go out today with all the racket last night.” It had drizzled from late evening all through the night, Robert exaggerating. Aaron didn’t point that out though, knowing that it wasn’t the light rain that was keeping Robert up nights, making him restless. He rounded the small kitchen table to join Robert at the window, slipping up behind him.

“Hm because you’d have complained _so_ much if we ended up having to spend the whole day inside,” Aaron said, running his hands over Robert’s stomach before catching his opposite wrist, letting his hands settle interlocked around his husband. “…In bed. Wouldn’t you?” Aaron pressed a kiss to the back of Robert’s shoulder, smiling when Robert leaned back into him.

“Now you mention it I suppose it is six in one hand, half dozen in the other.” Aaron huffed, resting his cheek on Robert’s shoulder blade. “Oh,” Robert said, pointing out the window. “Look. S’nice rainbow.”

And so there was. Aaron peered over Robert’s shoulder, craning his neck a bit to sit his chin there. Arching across the sky the rainbow was hazy, one long stroke of watercolour in seven tones, the mountains in the distance a postcard perfect backdrop.

“Gay,” he said. Robert laughed, bouncing Aaron with the movement, who switched to burying a smile in the side of Robert’s neck. Robert tilted his head, opening up even more skin to Aaron’s lips.

“Hmm big gay frown,” Robert said. “Reminds me of someone – oi,” Aaron dug his teeth into Robert’s neck again – not hard, just a scrape and tickle, quickly followed by his lips again to soothe. Robert turned in Aaron’s arms, bringing his own hands to Aaron’s face.

“Seriously though,” he said, contemplatively. “What d’you want to do today?”

Aaron thought about it. Traced Robert’s face with his gaze and tried not to think about a future where they weren’t holding each other this close, tried to stay in the moment. Big gay frown and blue, blue horizon. He shook his head lightly, and Robert pulled him closer, sharing air.

“Whatever you want,” Aaron said, eventually, Robert’s lips pressed to his forehead, his own hands gripping the back of Robert’s shirt. “Clear skies in’t it?”

Welsh birdsong crept in through the cracks in the cottage walls, and they just kept standing there, putting off deciding. Rain, hail, snow, sleet. Let it come.

Theirs was not a fair weather love anyway.


End file.
